When the spokesperson of the government of Pakistan, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, appears on the news channels at an ungodly hour of well past midnight — early Wednesday morning — to say that the country had “credible intelligence” that India intended to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours, why wouldn’t we take it seriously?

That it didn’t actually happen within that timeframe was certainly some relief. But there are reasons to remain on tenterhooks as tensions between India and Pakistan have shown no signs of subsiding. Besides, considerable mystification resides in what is being said by either side. And social media continues to play with fire. We cannot be sure as to what statement is meant for whom. Obviously, warmongering is a game that is governed by uncertified rules.

So, as I write these words, I feel that I am “on a darkling plain, swept by confused alarms of struggle and flight”, to quote from Matthew Arnold’s ‘Dover Beach’, which also talks about “ignorant armies” clashing by night. Ah, but what is happening to us is real. No poetic allusion would work for us.

Anyhow, suspense about what might happen has deepened this week. One is not able to find any clarification from all those talk shows that seem to have brought out rusted defence and security experts from their retirement. Some believe the situation would de-escalate without any major encounter because diplomatic channels have been activated. Others insist that India has trapped itself into taking some action, if only to save its face.

We go round and round in our media and in private discussions, waiting anxiously for what will happen on the ground. The Pahalgam terror attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) had taken place on April 22, and initially it seemed that the threatened Indian response would come in a day or two. However, the preparatory drill undertaken by India took some time and it was only on Wednesday that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his military ‘operational freedom’ to respond to the Pahalgam attack.

Anyhow, we continue to be on tenterhooks until at least the time of this writing. There are some indications that give you hope that sanity may still prevail in South Asia. After all, there seems to be a pattern of rising and falling levels of animosity and conflict, with intermittent periods of peace and amity. The two countries have fought three wars that have settled nothing.

There were campaigns like Aman ki Asha, though momentarily defeated by the dark forces of hatred and intolerance. Still, peace activists in both countries have survived very difficult times and hope to restore their mission when the present potentially irrational phase of lethal confrontation is over.

That said, I am afraid that at this moment, prospects of adventurism on the part of the Indian leadership are rising. This situation has prompted our military brass to express “complete confidence in the operational readiness, deterrence posture and morale of all formations and strategic forces to defend the nation across the entire threat spectrum.”

I am quoting from a press release issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Friday after a special session of the Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) that was presided over by the army chief at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

The conference conducted a comprehensive review of the prevailing geo-strategic environment, particularly emphasising the current Pakistan-India standoff and the broader regional security calculus.

“While reaffirming Pakistan’s abiding commitment to peace, stability, and prosperity, the forum made clear that any attempt to impose war will be responded to, surely and decisively, and aspirations of the people of Pakistan will be respected at all costs”, said the ISPR press release.

Meanwhile, against the backdrop of patriotic, morale-boosting messages on the media, we have to contend with our daily routines. Take this as a diversion, but there is a need to build consensus in society regarding any foreign threat to the nation’s well-being. Where does the strength of a society come from?

Unfortunately, Pakistan is fairly deficient in social harmony, and many divisive issues remain unresolved. This may not be an appropriate occasion to discuss our collective deficits or lapses in our quality of governance. However, I am constrained to look at the major headlines of the week and participate in the discussions that engage our social activists and concerned citizens.

One crucial event for the media is World Press Freedom Day, which was observed yesterday, May 3. Unesco’s theme for the Day this year is ‘Reporting in the brave new world: the impact of Artificial Intelligence on press freedom and the media’. For us in Pakistan, the issue simply is freedom, and restrictions that have recently been imposed on the media have added to our shortcomings as a nation.

Finally, I have to take note of the findings of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) that are analysed in its annual report: State of Human Rights 2024. The report was released in Islamabad on Wednesday. I can only highlight a few points from published reports but the document itself is a comprehensive compilation of the violations of fundamental freedoms of the people of Pakistan. It is globally respected as a credible record of the state of human rights in the country.

The report says that the February 2024 elections were compromised by allegations of electoral manipulation. The existing government has ceded space to undemocratic forces. A spike in militancy in 2024 was a major concern. There were at least 379 officially reported new cases of enforced disappearances. There were 4,864 staged police encounters in Sindh and Punjab alone. And there are many more facts that certify a decline in civic freedoms and law and order.

Doesn’t this add to our anxiety when we are already on tenterhooks?

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer’s own and don’t necessarily reflect Geo.tv’s editorial policy.

The writer is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: [email protected]

Originally published in The News